The Dragon's Mate

by Emilia Hartley

  “Don’t go and do something stupid,” Lucy said, in a warning tone. “Besides, there’s nothing you can do against Dominic. Not by yourself.”

  Dan knew that was true but still he wanted to rip into Dominic for treating Lucy so badly. Reminding himself that this was exactly the kind of behavior Lucy didn't want to see managed to calm him down, his fists slowly uncurling as he looked at her steadily. "I don't like the way Dominic treated you, Lucy," he growled. "He's given you the wrong impression about shifters. We're not all like that."

  “I know,” she said, frankly. “You keep telling me that, Dan.” She looked at him for a long moment, with something like indecision in her eyes.

  Recognizing that Lucy had a lot to work through, Dan chose to drop the matter. "Listen," he said, softly. "Why don't we talk about something else for a while? I understand that the shifting thing is something of a big deal and there's a lot going on, so, until you're ready, we won't discuss it again."

  Her eyes widened slightly. “Really?”

  “Sure.” He gave her a slight smile, hoping that she’d trust him enough one day to let him show her exactly what a good shifter looked like.

  “What about asking me about Dominic?”

  Dan shook his head. “Nope. I won’t ask any more. Not until you’re ready to talk to me about it, if that day ever comes.” He tipped his head slightly, studying her thoughtfully. “I want to respect your boundaries, Lucy. Although, if Dominic does come along, I can’t promise I won’t go for him.”

  Shaking her head, Lucy let out a quiet laugh. “Believe it or not, it’s actually quite nice to have someone who wants to defend me. It’s pretty different from what I’m used to.”

  Dan tried to smile, despite his bear still roaring and angry inside at the mention of Dominic. “I’ll always be ready to defend you, Lucy,” he muttered, dropping his head and picking up another slice of pizza. He vowed that he would never let Dominic hurt Lucy again, not even if got beaten to a pulp in the process. She had to see that someone was going to stand up for her, even if it was a guy who managed to put his shirt on inside out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A few more days passed and Lucy began to grow quite settled with the Alliance. Dan, especially, was spending as much time as he could with her, making sure she was left feeling right at home. Lucy even began to enjoy stripping the old wallpaper off the walls in the office and was able to help Savannah out with the paperwork too, which meant Savannah had more time to go and help Tom with the house.

  Lucy had been delighted to hear that Tom was building a house for him and Savannah to share. At the same time, she realized that it would mean only Dan was left here. When Tom and Savannah eventually moved out, there would be a bed going spare. Perhaps she could move in here - not that she had very much to her name. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about sharing a bed with Dan, and what he would look like first thing in the morning.

  "Lucy?" Dan came over, and Lucy felt heat rush into her face yet again, wondering if he could tell what she'd been thinking about. To her horror, she saw him give a quick sniff of the air, before grinning at her. Apparently, he was learning how to put his shifter senses to good use, even in his human skin. Her pheromones were telling Dan exactly what she'd been thinking about, even if she wasn't going to say a word about it.

  "Hi, Dan," she said, turning around and trying to be casual. It didn't quite work, and she could see the glimmer of laughter in his eyes.

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, the scruff on his chin tickling her neck. Lucy sucked in a breath, closing her eyes as desire shot heat into her belly. “Thinking about me, were you?” he growled into her ear.

  “Something like that,” she admitted, as he pulled away. His grin was spreading across his face even more as she smiled at him, aware that her face was probably bright red. Her eyes flitted to his mouth for a moment, before she turned her head away. What was she doing? Sometimes she couldn’t think straight when he was around, especially when he was so close to her. Everything about him just oozed appeal. Even the way he smelled was….

  A sudden frown crossed her face. Her bear was content too. For the first time, it wasn’t trying to push out of her skin, or growling quietly. It was silent. When Dan drew closer, it almost seemed to purr.

  “Is something the matter?”

  She shook her head, stepping away from him. "No, I - " She didn't like this feeling. Her bear was trying to tell her something about Dan, but Lucy didn't want to listen. She hated that the bear kept on trying to get her attention when it was the very thing she was trying to get rid of, the one thing she didn't want to be a part of her any more.

  “Got any plans for this evening?”

  Forced to focus back on Dan instead of on her tumbling thoughts, Lucy shook her head, wondering what he had planned.

  “Great,” he grinned. “Then I was hoping you’d come out with me for a walk somewhere.”

  Lucy frowned again, thinking that perhaps Dan was going to take her somewhere to try and get her to shift.

  “And don’t worry,” Dan continued, as though he’d read her thoughts. “I won’t be trying to push that bear out of you, Lucy. I just found a nice place and I want to share it with you. You can talk to me about stuff when you’re ready, remember?”

  “Oh,” she replied, immediately feeling guilty that she’d not trusted he’d keep his promise to not talk to her about shifting. “Sure, I’d like that.”

  He nudged her. “No need to look so guilty, I forgive you,” he grinned, making her smile. “I’ll bring dinner and Nick’s going to lend me the truck. See you after work.”

  “Bye.” Lucy kept her eyes on him as he walked back out of the door, and along past the window towards the actual repair shop. He always managed to make her smile, even when she didn’t want to. It was like she couldn’t be in a bad mood around him.

  Jo walked in, giving her a quick smile. “Everything okay?”

  Lucy nodded, turning back to the paperwork she was doing for Savannah, who was up at the house build today. “Yeah, fine. Dan and I were just arranging something for after work.”

  “Oh.”

  Jo didn’t say any more but Lucy could tell she was smiling. Heaving a loud sigh for Jo’s benefit, Lucy quirked one eyebrow when she turned around with an innocent expression on her face.

  “What?” Jo asked, spreading her hands.

  “I know you’re secretly thrilled Dan and I are spending so much time together,” Lucy replied, barely able to keep a straight face. “He’s a friendly guy, is that so surprising?”

  Jo shook her head. “No, not surprising at all, if you’re sure that’s all it is.” She paused for a second or two, her smile spreading. “I don’t think Dan wants just friendship between you two.”

  Lucy sighed again, but this time for real. "I know. I like him too."

  “So what’s the problem?”

  Wondering if Jo would understand, Lucy tried to explain. “He’s a shifter, I’m not.”

  “You are,” Jo contradicted, confused.

  “I know I am,” Lucy replied. “But what I mean is, I don’t shift. Dan doesn’t understand that.”

  "Mmm." Jo tipped her head, her eyes wandering around the room. Lucy knew she was thinking about what to say and was happy to give her the space to think. Even only after a couple of weeks, she'd really grown to like and respect Jo. She always seemed to know what to say and the others always listened to her.

  “Do you know the one thing I find difficult about my relationship with Nick?” Jo asked, eventually.

  Lucy shook her head, wondering what on earth it could be. Jo and Nick seemed so strong together, so obviously in love.

  "It's that he's a shifter, and I'm not," Jo finished, with a sad smile on her face. "He experiences the world so differently from me and can do things I can't. There's a huge part of his life that I can't share in, and, while it doesn't mean that we love each other any less, it certainly can be hard at times."

  “But shi
fting has it’s bad side,” Lucy replied, suddenly feeling defensive. “I mean, even Nick’s involved in a feud with another pack.”

  "Oh yes, I know," Jo agreed, calmly. "But he's never chosen to be a part of that fight, Lucy. That's the difference. Your brother - and Lucas - are shifters who want to fight. It's who they are. They want to dominate and control. Savannah and Dan were a part of that pack, but they left in the end and joined us because they realized how different we are." Her gaze shifted away from Lucy to the corner of the room, her expression almost dreamy. "If the Northern Wind pack weren't here, weren't fighting with us, then this pack would just be about going out in the woods, lazing around and swimming in the lake." The corner of her mouth turned up. "Except I'd be the only human surrounded by a whole pile of bears!"

  Lucy saw the slight sadness in Jo’s eyes and immediately felt ridden with guilt. Jo wanted something she couldn’t have, while Lucy wasn’t using her shifting abilities at all. Jo seemed to view them as a gift, as something worth having, while Lucy still couldn’t pull herself away from the idea that being a shifter meant being involved in violence. “I guess if I keep on staying human then you won’t have to worry about being the only human in a pack full of bears,” she replied, trying to lighten the mood.

  Jo's gaze shot back towards her at once, as she shook her head fervently. "No, Lucy, I don't agree. Your reasons not to shift are entirely your own, but none of us can escape from who we really are. It would be like Dan trying to pretend he's not a bit of a clumsy joker when we all know that's exactly who he is. Can you imagine him trying to be serious all the time?"

  Lucy shook her head, numbness spreading through her limbs. She knew exactly what Jo was getting at, but she still didn’t want to accept it. It was too much to think about, too much to take in at one time. Her bear growled uncomfortably, aware of the battle going on inside Lucy.

  “Just think about it, okay, Lucy?” Jo finished, putting a gentle hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “I know I’d give anything to be able to share that part of Nick’s life. Don’t hide that part of yourself away.” She walked away, her feet barely making a single sound on the floor.

  Lucy sat quietly for a long time, the paperwork forgotten. Jo had shown her an entirely different side to life, one where shifting wasn't a part of her day to day living. Lucy couldn't imagine what it must be like for Jo, to be surrounded by shifters who could all sense things and do things that she couldn't. Remembering how Dan, Nick, Tom, and Savannah had all gone out into the woods the first night she'd arrived, Lucy suddenly saw the look of resignation on Jo's face - and pain sliced through her heart. She had what Jo wanted, but she was refusing to use it.

  Dan had tried over and over to tell her that being a shifter wasn't a bad thing, but she'd never even allowed herself to consider what he'd said. Dominic's need to control had told her, over and over, that violence and anger went hand in hand with being a shifter. Lucy had given up on her dreams of finding a pack that was peaceful and respectful, and now, it seemed, even when she might have found what she’d been looking for, she didn’t want to believe it.

  Lucy had to admit to herself that her bear's instinct was to trust Dan. More than that, the bear wanted to be with Dan, all the time. It was calm and settled when she was with him. Of course, Lucy had tried to ignore her bear completely, but now, finally, she was ready to listen. What was it her bear was trying to tell her? That she should trust him? That she could let herself shift and know that he wouldn't ever try to push her into fighting or violence, in the way Dominic had done? Lucy swallowed hard, threading her hands through her hair and resting her elbows on the table. Perhaps tonight, wherever it was Dan was taking her, she'd be able to talk to him about everything Jo had said. And maybe, just maybe, she might think about shifting again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dan couldn’t help his grin as he saw Lucy climb down from Nick’s truck. She’d driven over from the cabin and had clearly made an effort. Not that she needed to, given how absolutely beautiful he already found her, but he appreciated that she’d dressed up for him.

  “I hope you’re wearing sensible shoes,” he laughed, as she walked towards him.

  “I am,” she retorted, even though he spotted laughter in her eyes. “In fact, I even brought my hiking boots in the back of the truck, in case we’re going somewhere ridiculous.” She arched one eyebrow, her lips lifted slightly.

  Dan grabbed her around the waist, pulled her tightly against him and slammed his mouth over hers, catching her gasp with his lips. She responded at once, resting her hands on his chest and immediately kissing him back. His passion burst into life at once, and he feathered kisses along the curve of her jaw and down her throat, hearing her quiet moan.

  Stepping back, he blew out a long breath. “Sorry,” he murmured, seeing the way she was looking at him with an almost dazed look. “You’re just completely irresistible and, believe me, I’d love to carry this on but if we don’t go now, we’ll be late.”

  “Late?” she queried, her breath still coming quickly. “For what?”

  Dan held out his hand to her, waiting until she took his hand before beginning to walk away from the mechanics. Her touch seared his skin and everything in him wanted just to sweep her up into his arms and walk back into the shop, but instead, he just kept walking. This would be a great evening for the both of them, so long as he timed it right.

  “Where are we going?” he heard Lucy ask, as they walked up the small path behind the mechanics shop, which was soon covered with trees. “Is this the way to the building site?”

  Chuckling, Dan shook his head. “No, that’s more to the west, although it’s less of a building site now. In fact, I heard Tom say that they’re going to start sleeping over there by the end of the week!”

  “Really?” She sounded surprised, but Dan grinned back at her.

  “Really,” he replied. “I guess Tom really wants to move out.” When Lucy didn’t respond, Dan just kept walking, keeping his eyes on the path. He heard her murmur something along the lines of, ‘then you’ll be in that place by yourself’, and he struggled not to laugh out loud, his smile widening. He'd be lying if he didn't admit he'd thought about that himself. Having the place to himself meant that there would be no-one to interrupt him and Lucy if they decided to have a quiet dinner together.

  “We’re almost here,” he murmured, giving her hand a gentle tug. “I’m afraid the next part is going to get quite steep though. Think you’re up for it?”

  “Of course I am,” Lucy replied, immediately. “Although I hope you can find your way back down. It’s going to start getting dark soon.”

  The thought of being in the dark with Lucy, walking a remote path through the dark wood, brought out the protective instinct in Dan almost immediately. His bear growled happily, as though reminding him that he needed to take care of her. Dan didn’t need to be told. It was already something he wanted to do, had to do. He wished he could share with her exactly how he was feeling, and what his bear did when she was around, but that was something he'd promised not to talk to her about any more. If he even mentioned his bear or his shifting abilities, the conversation would more than likely turn into why she didn't shift, which was exactly what he'd promised not to talk about. It would be best not to mention it at all, despite his almost overwhelming need to get her to change her mind. He couldn't imagine not running through the woods with her, their bears completely free. It was one of the happiest times of his life, being able to do that, and he hoped that, one day, that he'd be able to share those times with Lucy.

  His heart began to pick up its pace and a small trickle of sweat crept down his back as they climbed the hill together. It was an incredibly steep climb, but Dan knew it would be worth it. He’d spent more than a few evenings up here in the past, especially when Tom and Savannah had been hoping for a few hours along together. He’d discovered it completely by chance, and he didn’t think that very many others knew about it either. The path had been almost hidden by unde
rgrowth the first time he’d walked it, and he’d spent a few hours clearing it one day.

  Breathing hard, Dan slammed his hands onto his knees and drew in a couple of deep breaths. “We’re here,” he gasped.

  “Good,” Lucy replied, struggling to catch her breath. “I don’t think I could have walked much longer.”

  Dan smiled, standing up straight. “I’ve been up here so many times I’ve almost lost count.”

  “You mean you put yourself through that on purpose?” Lucy asked, rolling her eyes. “Why?”

  Reaching for her hand, Dan pulled her a few steps further, pushing through a few small branches before, finally, they arrived.

  He heard Lucy’s gasp and smiled with happiness. He’d known this place would be worth it.

  “Here,” he murmured, leading her to an overturned tree trunk that he’d crudely carved into a bench of sorts, that very afternoon. “Sit down.”

  Lucy sat down carefully, barely able to take her eyes from the view. Dan was right, this place had been worth the horrible climb. In front of her lay open fields, with a few houses dotted about, and she could even see the horizon. The sun was slowly going down and already the sky was beginning to turn a beautiful dusky pink.

  “This is absolutely stunning,” she murmured, as Dan sat next to her. She glanced up at Dan, seeing the soft smile on his face. He appreciated the beauty of the land and that meant something to her. Dominic had never cared about anything like that, but Dan was so clearly the opposite of her brother.

  “It’s going to get better,” Dan replied, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “It should be a nice clear sunset tonight.”

  Lucy sighed, settling herself against him. “Do you come up here quite a lot, then?”

  “Only when the others need some space from the single guy,” he quipped, making her smile. “I actually found it by chance and I don’t think that any of the others even know it’s here. The path was really overgrown the first time I followed it.”